


Hierarchy

by NanakiBH



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Bonding, Internal Conflict, M/M, Nothing Hurts, Past Child Abuse, Self-Reflection, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 07:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14256117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanakiBH/pseuds/NanakiBH
Summary: It's perfect that perfect doesn't exist even in a perfect world.





	Hierarchy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this prompt](https://personakinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/993.html?thread=856801#cmt856801) at the Persona 5 kink meme which requested an AU where Shido's still kind of a bad dude like in the game, but also a good dad. A whole scenario came to mind and I didn't realize how long it was going to be until I wrote it. lol
> 
> I gave it the ship tag because Akechi's feelings here sound borderline romantic at times, but it's mostly just Decent Dad Shido and Devoted Son Akechi.

“Akechi-kun!”

Two girls called out to him and approached as he was exchanging his shoes at the school entrance. They were from his class. He was familiar with them and knew their names, of course, but they weren't particularly important. He had the feeling that they were fans. Although they never said as much, he'd given into their pressuring once or twice to hang out with them and recalled the girlish enthusiasm they exuded in his presence, that cloying sort that made him feel irritated.

Like most, they didn't know anything about him. They just wanted to get closer to his celebrity.

 

He turned to them and smiled.

 

“Hello, ladies.”

They didn't giggle, but he could tell they would've. They were holding it in, clutching their school bags to restrain it.

“Um...” The taller girl shuffled her feet, her face coloring as she struggled to find the words for him. After a moment, she straightened her back and forced herself to speak. “Um! Would you... like to join us at- I mean, would you like to come with us to...”

“Wanna hang out at the arcade with us?” her smaller friend helpfully finished.

Already fixing them with an apologetic frown, Akechi looked from one to the other, then sent a wistful glance toward the doors at the entrance and the rain outside. “Unfortunately, as you can see, it's raining,” he said.

“Huh?” The taller girl didn't seem to understand. She looked around. “Do you not have an umbrella? If you're worried about getting wet on the way there, y-... You could... share one of ours...”

Either they didn't know how to take a hint or he wasn't very good at making excuses.

“I actually have somewhere I need to be. I'm sorry.”

“Oh, is it for, like, some detective stuff?” the smaller one asked intelligently.

“Something like that.” A vague answer like that seemed to fit their vague understanding of what his 'detective stuff' involved. He didn't want to leave them with the idea that he'd consider their invitation some other time, so he simply shouldered his school bag and gave them a small parting wave. “Again, my apologies. See you tomorrow.”

Outside, he opened his umbrella and stepped out from under the cover near the entrance. The chill of the rainy temperature immediately seeped through his thin shirt. It was still too soon to be going without a jacket. Spring was unforgiving.

In truth, he had nowhere he needed to be. There was always work to be done, but there was presently nothing that required his immediate attention.

It was a rainy day, so. He just wanted to spend it in his father's office.

He liked to lay on his couch and read or take a nap. It was relaxing there. It wasn't the same at home. His father was always busy, always working, so it was always late by the time he came home. School and his detective work kept him busy, too, so he didn't have to encounter an empty home unless he had nothing else to occupy him.

On the bright side, Shido seemed to understand his aversion to the silence.

At his previous home, he spent most of his time alone. Both of his foster parents had jobs, but even when they weren't working, they couldn't spare him their attention. There was no love in their relationship and no love for him. They took him in because they thought a child would be the thing to revitalize their marriage, but they weren't actually dedicated to the responsibility that raising a child required. Having already been passed around by multiple homes, he was older, so they accepted him, thinking that an older child would be able to take care of himself.

He spent three years with them, breaking into his teenage years. For the first year, he spent every day envisioning his eighteenth birthday, when he would be able to get away and rely on himself. But after the second year of silence, he started desperately praying for someone to take him away. Eighteen was so far away...

There was a knock on the door one day when he was alone.

A large bald man flanked by two men in black glasses and suits.

He'd just looked at him at first. Akechi intuitively understood the feeling in his eyes. That moment was a fateful encounter.

The man gave him his name, “Shido Masayoshi,” and promised to return when his foster parents were there.

His appearance left Akechi shaking. That man could have been anyone, but his appearance and presence left an impression. Repeating his name in his head, he searched for him on his foster father's computer – he didn't have a smartphone nor a computer of his own – and received far more than he expected. Based on his looks, he worried that he might have been a debt collector or mobster or _something_ , but it turned out that looks were deceiving.

He was a cabinet minister. What sort of business he had with his parents, Akechi couldn't even imagine. He wished the man had at least told him what he went there for...

Regardless, Akechi erased the search from his foster father's computer, and when his parents came home, he kept the visit to himself. He didn't have to keep it a secret for long.

He didn't spend another night in that house. Shido returned and took him with him.

Sitting next to Shido in the backseat of his chauffeured car, he'd watched the sharp profile of his face as he took a long, calm drag from his cigarette. Shido turned to him. Studied his face. He touched his hair and his cheek, gave him a light scratch behind the ear, and smiled a thoughtful smile to himself.

He told him that he was his real father, that he hadn't been aware of him until he found out about his mother's death. The way Shido described it, he'd had a passionate romance with her that ended abruptly without explanation. He hadn't pursued her, so he was shocked when, fifteen years later, he found out about her death. Her cause of death made him realize why she'd left.

She had a son.

 

They had a son.

 

Akechi sat there in stupefied silence. He hadn't known he had a father; he figured that he must have, obviously, but he'd considered the possibility that his father was dead, too. It was easier on his heart if he imagined that they were both dead. The thought of having a father who was completely disinterested in him was too painful for him to entertain.

Over time, he learned what sort of person Shido was. Although he was secretly excited that his real father was such an important figure, he was aware of what his importance meant. No man rose to his position without first stepping over a few bodies, metaphoric or otherwise. Akechi had already accepted the reality of adult society. His father was a lion; a powerful predator who prowled the political scene and knew how to make a successful kill. As his child, Akechi realized that he didn't belong cowering in silence. There was a roar in his chest that was finally able to be released; the sound of his real voice.

He never heard from his foster parents again after that, with no interference on Shido's behalf. They cared as little as Akechi had always known. It made him feel bitter to realize that they must have been grateful for Shido's sudden appearance. From the moment they realized they couldn't handle the responsibility of parenthood, they'd wanted to get rid of him.

But to Shido... He was an accomplishment.

Akechi suspected that he thought of him like a possession, but he didn't mind. He was wanted. He thought that adults only cared about themselves, so that was more than he would have ever expected. Even if he was a possession, he was beloved and treated with the kind of care one would pay to their most valuable treasure.

It was true what they say.

He'd gone from being one family's trash to the irreplaceable treasure of his father.

He wanted to repay him, but he didn't know how. His life may have drastically changed, but he was still just a child. So, even though he was a child, at age fifteen, he became an amateur detective. Having infiltrated the system, underestimated by everyone, he was able to collect information for his father and was able to visit with him whenever he wanted.

More.

He wanted more, though.

Simply being in his presence wasn't enough. He wanted more of Shido's attention.

The man had a fanatical ambition to become Prime Minister. Akechi admired that ambition, but he also quickly became jealous of it, feeling as though it were stealing Shido's precious attention away from him.

If he could help him become Prime Minister, then Shido would finally be able to take a breath and give him his full, undivided attention. That became his plan.

 

Holding his umbrella in one hand, Akechi stopped at the edge of the intersection on his way to the station and took his phone from his pocket.

 

As he expected... The strange app was still on his phone.

 

A few days prior, he had a dream. It probably wasn't just a dream. When he awoke, that app was suddenly on his phone. According to the man with the long nose in his dream, the app turned his phone into a gateway; a device that would allow him access to another world – the Metaverse. The name wasn't unfamiliar to him. He was aware of the woman researching theories of a parallel world. His father had an interest in her research, and for good reason.

That world was the world of hearts. Had his father not expressed his own belief in its existence, it might have only sounded silly to him. The vague words of the long-nosed man were enough to tell him that Shido's theories were correct.

Anyone with access to the Metaverse could control people's hearts.

He could use it.

As long as that app remained on his phone, he could use the Metaverse to influence his father's opponents or simply... make them disappear.

* * *

The Diet Building.

 

He knocked on Shido's door, outside his office. Even if he was family, it felt rude to intrude without announcing himself.

“It's Goro,” he said.

From the other side of the door, a dampened “Come in.”

Akechi entered and quietly closed the door behind himself. Shido appeared to be busy with something, intently examining the contents of a folder thick with documents. So as not to disturb his focus, Akechi didn't speak. He put his bag on the floor next to the couch and took a seat, keeping his feet politely on the floor even though he felt tempted to lay down and sleep.

Something didn't feel quite right. He couldn't sleep with an uncomfortable feeling in the air.

Shido looked cross. Each time he turned a page, he released a loud, frustrated-sounding sigh.

“Papa, is something wrong?”

Shido sat back, rubbing his fingers over his forehead as if to smooth out the crease of irritation on his brow. He didn't say anything at first, only sighing as he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He put his arms down and thrummed his fingers on the arms of his chair in thought before speaking.

“I need a drink.”

Akechi leaned forward. “Did something happen?”

“No.” He leafed through a few of the things on his desk and made a face. “And that's the problem. Nothing is happening. We've reached a standstill. None of the bills I've proposed have made any progress and are stagnating on the floor. I know these men well enough to know that they aren't going to do me any favors.”

“You can't bribe them?”

Shido laughed. “Won't work. They don't like me. No amount of money's going to make them move.”

 

A standstill...

That wasn't good for either of them.

 

“Let me help.”

For a moment, Shido looked at him, seeming to consider the proposal, but he ultimately shook his head. “Sorry,” he said, leaning forward, placing his elbows on his desk. He rested his chin on his steepled fingers and gave him a faint smile. “You've been a great help, but I think you may be ten years too early to do the kind of influencing this requires.”

That wasn't true at all. It might've been if he were just a regular amateur detective, but he wasn't ordinary anymore. There were things he could do for Shido that no one else could do – not even Shido himself.

Akechi stood, taking his phone from his pocket. He held it up.

“I've been to the Metaverse,” he said.

He didn't expect Shido to believe him right away. As he thought, once the initial surprise left Shido's face, he asked, skeptically, “You've _been_ to the Metaverse?” The way he said it, it sounded like he didn't doubt him entirely. He responded as if Akechi had said something unexpected but not impossible. He was interested.

Smiling proudly, Akechi strode to the front of his desk. Leaning his hip against the edge, he leaned forward and showed his screen to Shido. “Do you see that weird app with the eyeball icon? It's called the Metaverse Navigator. I can use this to travel back and forth between the Metaverse and the real world. However...” He cautiously took his phone out of Shido's reach. “I'm the only one who can use it because I can use the power of Persona. If you tried to enter without a Persona of your own, you would probably be in trouble.”

“You're serious?”

He nodded. “Sorry for not telling you sooner...”

“Don't worry,” he said. He spoke firmly around his subordinates, but whenever it came to him, Akechi noticed the difference. His tone was affectionate and reassuring. “It sounds like you have a lot you want to tell me. Where did that app come from? We can start there. That doesn't sound like something you would have been able to casually download off the web.”

“It was-...” Was it going to be weird if he told him about the man with the long nose? Even Akechi had trouble believing what he experienced. But it was the truth. “It started with a dream. But it wasn't a dream. It's like my consciousness was taken somewhere else while I was sleeping. I met an unusual man who called himself Igor. He was the one who put the app on my phone. He told me about the Metaverse and explained how I should go about navigating it with my Personas.”

“Personas?” Shido asked. “More than one?”

Akechi scratched his cheek, becoming self-conscious. “Apparently I can hold multiple. It's like a manifestation of your soul that fights for you. The one I have now is-...” Grotesque. “It's powerful.”

“Does the Metaverse work the way I suspected? You offered your help. Does that mean you can use it to affect the actions of people in the real world?”

“That's what Igor told me,” Akechi said, staring at his phone. He had a strange feeling about that man. He gave him too much information too readily. It was almost like he _wanted_ him to use that world however he wanted. There had to be some kind of catch... And what authority did that man have in that world, anyway? It was too suspicious.

“Then...” Shido sifted through his papers and pushed forward a document that looked like a dossier. “Congressman Ishikawa Kazuya. You've heard of him. Can you find this man in the Metaverse?”

He was a very stubborn-looking man. He had an unlikable face.

Akechi tapped the app. “First, let's check if he has a Palace. 'Ishikawa Kazuya,' was it?”

“ _No matches found,_ ” said a feminine, computerized voice.

That wasn't so bad. They could still find him in the public's Palace.

He was curious, though...

“Shido Masayoshi.”

“ _Match found._ ”

He and Shido looked at each other.

“What does that mean?” Shido asked. The hint of aggressiveness in his voice made Akechi's mouth feel dry.

“Your ambition is above average. It's already erected a Palace in the Metaverse. I would've expected no less from you, papa.”

“And you?” he asked.

“I believe in myself and I believe in you. My ability to wield Personas was born from that conviction. I can't have a Palace at the same time. But that works out for us, doesn't it? I'm suited to serving you. I can protect your Palace and I can eliminate any intruders and unwelcome guests.”

He liked that thought. He liked it a lot. Being his father's very own guard... It only seemed natural. Shido was like his knight in shining armor, the one who appeared suddenly to rescue him from his despair. His father's supporters were many, but there were also many within the system who wanted to destroy him at any cost, and that was something Akechi absolutely couldn't allow.

He'd protect him. And he'd protect his ambition.

“You're a good boy, aren't you?” Shido said. Rising up from his chair, he extended a hand to pet him on the head. His large palm was heavy, but his touch felt light. “To think I went so long without you... And now you've found a way into the Metaverse after I'd been searching for so long? You really are something special.”

Unable to help himself, enjoying his attention too much, Akechi leaned into his touch and closed his eyes.

Pure bliss...

Shido's fingers lightly touched his cheek as his hand was taken away. Akechi let himself believe that it was deliberate. Looking into his eyes, he sighed pleasantly, seeing nothing but warm affection for him there. It couldn't have been his imagination.

He was...

“Papa, I'm the most important thing to you, aren't I?” he asked, though he disappointed himself with the way his words came out. It sounded more like a question than it was meant to be. It was supposed to be rhetorical.

He was the most important thing to him.

He was his son, after all.

And yet, to his dismay, Shido hesitated. His answer should have been immediate.

“Have I done something to make you doubt how I feel about you?” he asked.

That wasn't exactly an answer, but...

It was okay.

Akechi shook his head and smiled. He was sure he was just overthinking things.

He took a step back from Shido's desk. “As for this Ishikawa, I believe we can find him in Mementos. Would you like to join me? I know how long you've been interested in Isshiki Wakaba's research into the Metaverse. It excites you, doesn't it? To see it for yourself before even she does...” He giggled. “I think I'd feel a little smug if I were you.”

Smug indeed. His smile was quite pleasing.

“We can go right away,” Shido said, already cleaning up the things on his desk, putting them where they belonged. “I'm not getting anything done here as it is. I'd like to see what you can do about Ishikawa. And then... Then I'd like dinner. Sushi.” He nodded to himself. “How does sushi sound to you?”

“The good stuff?”

“Depending on what you show me, it could even be the best stuff.”

A nice dinner in the evening with his father was just the sort of result he'd been hoping for. Those girls at school really didn't understand what the real Akechi Goro was like. It probably would have sounded strange to any of the guys from his class if they found out that he preferred to spend his time after school with his father instead of the girls. They just didn't understand. He didn't expect them to understand.

Other kids had normal childhoods. They already spent so much time with their parents, they were sick of them.

But not him.

He wasn't like that. He hadn't been fortunate enough to have a childhood so privileged.

Was he too dependent on him? Did that make him some kind of daddy's boy?

 

It was embarrassing, but he didn't care. He loved Shido.

 

With a smile on his lips, he returned to the sofa and took his bag. It was a good thing he hadn't made himself too comfortable. “Do you have an umbrella? You can share mine with me,” he said, remembering what one of the girls said. He felt his face become warmer, envisioning himself holding the umbrella for his much taller father, the two of them walking side-by-side through the rain...

“I have my own,” Shido said, promptly crumbling Akechi's daydream. He got up and went to the coat rack to retrieve his coat, but he paused, looking back at him. “...Did you forget your jacket at school?”

Ah. “I didn't wear one. I was a little too optimistic about the weather this morning. Didn't expect it to still be so cold.” Holding his arm, he looked away, embarrassed of his carelessness. “I'll be fine. S-... Sorry...”

 

Why was he apologizing...?

 

Shido looked at the coat he was holding, expression yet unreadable. He put it on, then gestured for him to follow. “Where are we heading? You need more than just the phone?”

Akechi quickly hurried to his side and followed him out the door. They continued to talk as they walked down the hall toward the elevators.

“It's a parallel world. So, naturally, that means that it exists alongside of ours. I think space must become distorted in some places, but, for the most part, the Metaverse contains a mirror image of our world. If we want to find Ishikawa, we need to head to the station. For some reason, there are tunnels there that run much deeper than the station in the real world.”

“Like the people getting on and off the trains every day, a part of each person is left behind there. Is that what you're saying?” Shido asked.

“You seem to understand.” Akechi was impressed, but he expected Shido to catch on quickly. “It's something like that. I've only been there once so far, so I don't know much about it, myself. If I meet that Igor again... I'll be sure to tell you whatever information he gives me about the nature of that world.”

When they reached the elevators, Shido nodded, businesslike. “Good,” he said. “But keep your voice down. Even if no one would understand what we're talking about, I don't want anyone else becoming cognizant of that world's existence – not even Isshiki Wakaba. This was our discovery.”

No worries. He knew how to keep a secret.

* * *

Even though Shido had his own umbrella, Akechi was still able to revel in the pleasantness of walking beside him in the rain. Although he despised silence, there was something about Shido's quiet that felt dignified and mature. He was, he thought, exactly what an adult should be; someone who held their back straight and kept their head held high, whose strong personality made words unnecessary. A single look was all that was ever needed for him to tell Akechi what he was thinking.

Together with such a person, Akechi was able to enjoy the sound of the rain.

At the station, they shook off their umbrellas. Akechi took Shido's and put it together with his in his bag. As Shido began heading toward their usual platform, Akechi grabbed him by the elbow and lightly pulled him back.

“We aren't actually going on the train,” he said, guiding him toward a corner of the walkway where passersby wouldn't see them. “I think people would notice if we suddenly disappeared. That would be big news, don't you think? Shido Masayoshi and Akechi Goro vanishing like ghosts...”

“So then, what do I need to do? Is it enough to stand next to you?”

“I think so,” he mumbled. He wished he had a better understanding of how the app worked. Applying human logic to something that clearly wasn't made by humans seemed like an impossible and pointless effort, though. As long as it worked, it worked. “We just have to try it.”

 

“ _Beginning navigation to Mementos._ ”

 

The moment they appeared in the other world, Akechi's clothing transformed. He pushed up his visor to show his face, feeling a little stupid in the disguise the Metaverse chose for him. Even though he knew that he could make up any explanations that suited him, he felt compelled to tell his father the truth.

Holding a hand up to hold up the visor, he looked up at Shido as he explained his black, striped attire. “As you can see... I transform when I come here. I think it has something to do with my Persona. If I infiltrate a Palace, this is meant to be a disguise to hide my identity from the Ruler's awareness.”

Shido looked him over slowly, making Akechi nervous.

“I see.”

A rather anticlimactic reaction. Akechi thought for sure that he'd have something to say about it. If he did, he was probably withholding it because he just didn't want to embarrass him.

“What do you think?”

Perhaps he was a masochist...

“Cute.”

 

_Cute?_

 

That wasn't what he expected... No matter how he looked at it, Akechi thought his disguise made him look like a cartoon villain. He didn't know why it looked that way, though.

Maybe that was just what an intruder looked like to the eyes of the Metaverse.

He had nothing but the purest intentions.

 

The place where they were standing looked the same as where they'd been in the real world with the obvious exceptions. There was no light down the tunnels. Red, vine-like veins coursed up and down the walls, pulsating eerily with life.

“It's darker than I expected,” Shido remarked as he looked around. He looked somewhat disappointed for a moment. “No, I suppose this just right. People are vile, just like this place. Only Isshiki-san would be surprised. Even knowing the complexities of human nature, she's too optimistic and naïve.”

They were the only two visitors from the real world. Shadows of other people boarded the train that came to a stop at the platform across from them.

“Hm? Where are they going?” Shido asked.

Akechi shrugged, letting his visor slide back into place. “Who knows. Want to follow them?”

“How would we do that?”

“Hitch a ride.”

“I don't know about that. Those didn't look like regular people. You probably need some kind of special pass to get around down here – like that getup of yours. I bet you could get on the train, but I couldn't, and I'm not about to grab onto the back of a speeding train. We're walking.”

Walking...

Akechi checked the app again, making sure of where Ishikawa's Shadow was located. It wasn't that far from their position. As long as they followed the tracks and moved from one platform to another, they were bound to run into him eventually, but Akechi was concerned about what kind of resistance they would encounter in the interim.

The last time he was there, he escaped from an ambush by using his phone at one of the platforms.

Escaping was easy, but exploring was probably going to be another story. Was his Persona going to be enough...?

 

It was enough.

 

What was he thinking?

 

He was enough.

 

He and his Persona were all his father needed.

 

“Papa, this way,” he said, gesturing for him to follow him as he got down from the platform and began walking along the tracks. “Please stay close to me. Pretty soon, you're going to see how dangerous this world is. The last time I was here, I saw some nightmarish things. I was lucky I didn't become their lunch.”

Shadows... That was what they were called. They were looking for Ishikawa's Shadow, but the other things he encountered were called Shadows, too. Were they the same? He had no way of knowing.

Was it bad if he killed them...?

He already killed a few of them.

He had to, though. They didn't look human.

 

“Goro?”

 

He turned his head, looked up at Shido as they walked beside each other. “Y-Yes?”

“Nothing. You were quiet.”

“Oh... Are you afraid of the dark?” he joked, trying to discard the uneasy feeling that had suddenly invaded his chest. He was glad that his mask obscured his face and made it harder for his expression to be seen. If there was a smile on his face, it was a fake one. “You can hold my hand if you're scared.”

What a joke. He was the one who was scared. Already, he could hear the sounds of Shadows nearby. As they walked deeper into the tunnels, Akechi wished that the navigator could have been more clear with the navigating. It didn't even seem worth it to bother with his phone. The map it provided was totally blank aside from the areas they'd already stepped foot on, like they were drawing the map themselves as they moved. The target's indicator, however, was in an area away from them, and the path was unclear.

He wanted to show off for Shido, but a part of him was scared.

He didn't get stage fright. It was something else.

 

His Persona was ugly. Unlovable.

 

How was he supposed to protect Shido with that thing?

 

“Goro.”

He thought Shido was just trying to get his attention again. When one of his hands circled around his wrist to pull him to a stop, it was already too late. The nearby Shadow had already spotted them.

It was some kind of floating pumpkin carrying a lantern. Akechi wanted to laugh at the small-fry, but that laugh got lodged in his throat when he realized that there was more than one – a whole horde of them. Somehow, seeing a whole bunch of those creepy little things made them a lot more intimidating. Shido looked worried, but not afraid. Seeing him maintaining a level head in the face of danger made Akechi feel more at ease, but...

“Are they going to attack?” Shido asked.

The Shadows stared at them, hee'ing and ho'ing, blocking their way.

“I-... I bet they're scared. They can probably tell how strong I am,” Akechi boasted.

A fireball whizzed past his head.

Shido sniffed. “They seem serious. They don't look too strong, though.” With that, he shrugged off his coat and rolled his sleeves up his muscular arms. What he had in mind was obvious if not ill-advised.

He went straight up to one of the Shadows and punched it.

The thing went flying. Akechi almost felt bad for it, but it rebounded quickly.

“You can do that?” Akechi muttered. “You can just _punch_ the Shadows?”

“It worked.”

“Yes, but...”

The whole horde – all five of them – got riled up by Shido's audacious move. The flames in their lanterns blazed. Although Akechi didn't know what they were planning, he knew that it wasn't going to be anything good. They clad themselves in fire like armor, forming a living wall of flame that blocked the tunnel. No matter how strong Shido was, Akechi knew that his fists wouldn't be a match against fire.

The reason he excitedly brought him with him was because he wanted to show him what he could do. It might have been simpler to take care of Ishikawa on his own and let Shido see the results later, but it sounded more effective to let Shido see his methods with his own eyes.

He took a breath, breathing in the dampness of the tunnel and the smell of oil and cinder.

 

“Rampage, Loki!”

 

At his violent cry, his Persona came forth. The black and white monstrosity towered over his shoulder and lunged forward with a graceful flourish. Its golden heels stamped the dusty ground as it swung around its weapon in a frenzy, ruthlessly ravaging the enemy. Even when it was clear that they were done for, it continued, swinging and slashing well past the point of gratuity.

It remained even after the fire had been extinguished and the Shadows eliminated, eventually settling, lowering its arms to its sides, hanging its head in silence.

Akechi looked at Shido, but Shido wasn't looking at him. He was staring at his Persona with a hard-to-read look on his face. Akechi wanted his Persona to go away, but it lingered. It slowly raised its head. Though it had horns where eyes should've been, Akechi got the feeling it was looking directly at him.

 

What was it trying to say?

 

“You didn't need me at all,” Shido said. He turned away after Loki finally disappeared. “It looks like you can take care of yourself.”

For some reason, Akechi wanted to deny that. He wanted to shout _“That isn't true!”_ but he swallowed his words. Even if it were true, he realized how pathetic it would've sounded to hear himself say it out loud. It would've made him sound weak.

He started walking and Shido picked up his coat and followed.

“Now you know how useful this will be,” Akechi said proudly. “Just wait. We're coming up on Ishikawa soon. If he's anything like the rest of the despicable men you know, I expect his Shadow will be stronger than that pitiful lot we just fought. He won't stand a chance against Loki, though.”

Silence followed his words.

Upset whispers from here, from there shook the air. The atmosphere trembled with nervousness and unrest.

Akechi tasted the foul stench of others' sins and regrets in his mouth.

Even though he was the one walking three paces ahead of Shido, it felt like he was leaving himself behind. He wanted to know what made him suddenly feel like that, but he was too afraid to turn around and see something his eyes didn't want to see. More ambiguity would have only made him ache. He wanted something certain.

Why, though?

Why was he so obsessed with making sure of his father's feelings when he already knew?

 

On the other hand,

 

Everyone valued a sense of security.

 

“There.”

Akechi pointed ahead, toward a vortex at the end of the tunnel that swirled with red and black energy. The Nav was indicating that their target was located somewhere on the other side of it. Akechi didn't know what the vortex was, exactly, but if he had to make a guess, he supposed it was like an ill-formed Palace; the root of a desire that attached itself to a corner of Mementos.

“It's safe?” Shido asked as they approached the portal. He stood close to it, inspecting it with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Probably,” Akechi said.

“An answer like that doesn't inspire confidence.”

“Sorry,” he said, pushing up his visor to give him a little cheeky smile. “You should feel comfortable placing your trust in me. I would never act on a decision that I thought would endanger you. You know that, don't you?”

 

After crossing over, they entered into an enclosed space. The voices of the Shadows seemed to disappear into complete silence there. Their absence didn't feel like a relief, however – they weren't alone. A man stood a few yards away from them, motionless, his face devoid of expression. It was definitely the man they were looking for, but there was something unsettlingly inhuman about the feeling of his presence. Akechi could sense the darkness that roiled about him like an aura.

Akechi hesitated, but Shido strode forward without concern.

Ishikawa's Shadow reacted, raising his head. His voice carried an air of contemptuous derision.

“Congressman Shido? Hmph. I knew it. I knew you'd be coming for me. What, are you going to try to bribe me? Your sweet talk won't work on me. There's nothing you can give me that I'd want.”

Shido stroked the hair on his jaw curiously. He looked amused – not at what the Shadow said, but at the situation itself. Because he wasn't speaking to the real Ishikawa, he was aware that he could get away with saying whatever he wanted. “Hm? Then, tell me. What would make you willing to flip your position? What _do_ you want?”

Akechi felt like patting himself on the back, delighted that Shido was enjoying himself.

Ishikawa's Shadow sneered and clicked his tongue in annoyance. “As if you'd understand.” Despite his visible irritation, he stayed where he was as if bound to the spot, held back by something invisible. His fists shook at his sides. “My wife left me... Took our kid with her... I want those days back. The one thing I want is something no one can give me. I call them and call them and call them but they never answer... 'Stalking', they called it!”

Akechi snickered. “That certainly is one way to ensure that people stop talking to you, Ishikawa-san.”

Ishikawa didn't seem to hear him, though. He kept talking, muttering to himself, becoming more deranged.

 

“They left me because I spent more time at the office than with them... They said I was obsessed. Ungrateful bunch of... I was working my ass off for them!”

 

Warily, Akechi moved himself closer to Shido. “He's already lost his mind, hasn't he?”

Shido stared straight ahead with serious eyes. “I knew about his family, but I had no idea he was like this. Sad bastard.”

“Eliminating him might be doing him a favor.”

“We can't manipulate his mind?” Shido asked.

That would have been ideal, but Akechi didn't think he and Loki were capable of that sort of intricate work yet. Their power was supposedly an everything-or-nothing sort of deal.

Akechi didn't worry about Ishikawa hearing them when he was already past the point of rationality. “I can use Loki's power to agitate his desire and make his heart go berserk, but what good will that do? You need him to make a rational decision in your favor.”

“If you drive him mad, he could be deposed from office, but there's no guarantee that that will happen. Lately, it feels like the party will put up with anything just to make it seem like things aren't falling apart. Killing him sounds like the most direct method to get what I want. I have someone loyal who would replace him immediately.”

 

Ishikawa became still all of a sudden. His head jerked upwards and he stared at Shido with gleaming yellow eyes.

 

“And you... You have that perfect son of yours. What more could you want? You already have everything I wanted. You selfish, ungrateful fool. It's people like you... People like you who don't deserve what they have!”

 

Akechi looked around. Did Ishikawa not realize that he was standing right there? His disguise must have fooled him. Still, Akechi was surprised to hear him mention him. He was popular, so perhaps he'd seen him on television... But he was curious to know if Shido had talked about him.

What did he say about him? How did he speak of him in front of others?

He wanted to hear those things.

 

His 'perfect son'...

 

Were those his father's words?

 

Ishikawa's voice tore from his throat like a roar.

“I'll show you what it means to lose what's most important to you, Shido Masayoshi!”

His body became engulfed in tendrils of black shadow, covering him from head to toe. A second later, he burst from the shadows, completely reborn in a new, monstrous form.

Just like Akechi expected, he looked stronger than the Shadows from before. Although he retained the body of a man, his head looked like that of an owl. Large wings unfurled from his back.

“Loki!”

“That's it, boy!” Ishikawa laughed, spreading out his arms and wings, provoking him. “Do it!”

Loki shuddered. It staggered forward, dragging its weapon.

 

He could do it...

 

Loki raised its weapon. It hesitated in the air a moment before falling heavily, striking Ishikawa to the ground. Once it landed the first blow, the rest followed easily, one after another, growing more wild and intense. Ishikawa didn't even have the opportunity to react, remaining on the ground, his wings pinned beneath Loki's heels.

It wasn't pretty to watch. It was almost too much, watching Loki brutalize Ishikawa when he was defenseless. A gun would have served him better.

Akechi couldn't take his eyes away, though. He felt paralyzed. His breathing became harder and his heart pounded uncomfortably in his chest.

“Goro, stop.”

“Almost...” He was almost finished. Loki just had to raise its weapon one more time...

 

A hand grabbed him roughly by the shoulder.

 

He looked up and his eyes met Shido's. The uncharacteristic concern Akechi saw there made his heart nearly stop. His unflappable level head was gone. Unmistakably, Shido was distressed.

 

“You're going to kill him.”

“Y-Yes...?” Akechi responded dumbly.

“I'm telling you to stop.”

“But...”

“He's already finished. That's enough.”

 

Loki's weapon fell from its grasp. The moment it hit the ground, it vanished together with Loki.

 

“Finished...?”

 

Ishikawa was still there, though he looked like he was just barely hanging on. It suddenly became obvious to Akechi that the reason why Ishikawa hadn't fought back was because he had no intention of fighting him in the first place. He was the fool. His disguise hadn't deceived him at all. Ishikawa had seen right through it. He'd known that Shido's son was standing right there beside him.

It seemed naïve of Ishikawa to assume that Shido would've had the heart to relent for any reason, and yet...

Shido made him stop.

Feeling ashamed of himself, Akechi moved out of Shido's grasp and stepped toward Ishikawa who had already returned to his human form. Since his mask was useless, Akechi removed it and let him see his face.

“No more of this,” he said. “Apologize to your family.”

A look of despair and regret claimed Ishikawa's face, the reality of what he'd done seeming to hit him after he'd been beaten back to his senses. “Yes... You're right. I was the one who was unfair. It's hypocritical for me to criticize others for acting the same way I did. I'll apologize and tell them how important they really are to me. I... I hope it's not too late. Thanks, kid.”

After Ishikawa closed his eyes, his body disappeared and something was left floating in the air in the place where he'd been. As if drawn to it by a force beyond his control, Akechi grabbed it before it could drop. As he held it in his palm, the dazzling light that surrounded it gradually faded, revealing the form of the item.

It was a formula bottle.

The image of a father lovingly holding his child spontaneously appeared in his mind.

“So that theory of hers was correct... A change of heart,” Shido noted as he looked at what Akechi was holding. “Fascinating.”

 

A change of heart...? Igor hadn't mentioned anything like that. Neither had Shido.

 

“Show her the app tomorrow,” Shido said.

Akechi gave a start and rapidly turned to look at him. “I-Isshiki Wakaba? What are you talking about? This is our-”

“This is too much,” he said. “We'll find another way.”

“But... This would make everything so easy. You said so yourself. What... What made you change your mind?” Akechi asked incredulously.

He'd been so proud of himself, too. Finally, as if the gods had smiled upon him, he had an incredible, unique power that would have made him invaluable in his father's plans. He found something that gave him infinite use. It was the perfect gift for the one who had given him everything.

For so long, Shido had been surreptitiously gleaning what he could of Isshiki's work to find himself an edge. On his own, he'd only been able to scratch the surface. She refused to share her notes, but if they used the Metaverse to track her down, it would have been easy to simply take what they wanted. She knew more than either of them. With those last pieces of information she refused to share, they would have been unstoppable, so...

So...!

 

“You were shaking,” Shido said.

 

Akechi's breath momentarily got caught in his throat. His kept his back straight and tried not to let his emotions show.

“I'm just inexperienced.”

Pushing up his glasses, Shido rubbed his eyes and sighed, looking troubled. “Something came over me as I was watching you. What becomes of that man is inconsequential to me. I could care less if he dies – I could even have someone else kill him, but... I didn't want to see you pushing yourself for the sake of something so trivial.”

“Trivial? You're talking about your ambition, though.” His knees shook. “Papa...”

With his hands in his pockets, Shido turned and began walking away.

“Let's go. It's getting late.”

 

He stopped when he realized Akechi wasn't following.

 

Akechi didn't know what he was supposed to feel. He was incredibly conflicted. His concerns had been eased with the knowledge that Shido indeed placed him above his desire to become Prime Minister, yet that didn't satisfy him. He really wanted to please him. Their trip had ended without any progress being made and he couldn't help but feel disappointed with that result.

 

Shido returned. He smoothed his palm over Akechi's cheek and directed him to look up at him. “Goro, I'm not disappointed.”

“I am,” Akechi muttered, digging his nails into the center of his palms.

“Such vulgar work is too unsightly for a prince, isn't it?”

Weakly, he batted Shido's hand away. “What are you talking about? You saw my Persona. You saw what I'm really like. Y-... You should have let me finish him off.”

“Maybe you're too young to understand...?” Shido mused, smiling almost wistfully. “Everyone is disgusting inside. That's why this place exists. Even the people who put their kindest face forward are hiding revolting thoughts inside themselves. You're expecting too much from yourself if you expect to be perfect.”

All of his lingering anger towards the people who hurt and neglected him...

The unsightly anger that turned into a beast inside of him...

Yet, he was his perfect son despite all that. Even though 'perfect' didn't exist, he was.

It was a pleasant contradiction.

It was no wonder Shido had become so powerful, understanding the heart like that. That was dangerous. Akechi was glad he wasn't one of his enemies.

“Thanks,” Akechi said softly. Feeling exhausted, he let his head rest heavily against Shido's palm. “I think I needed to hear that.”

Shido nodded wordlessly, removing his hand. It was extremely rare to hear him talk about something personal, so it must have left him feeling uncomfortable. He was a man's man and emotions weren't very manly. But Akechi knew they existed in him. He wanted to draw them out more.

 

Akechi didn't know what he was supposed to do with Ishikawa's treasure. It wouldn't have felt right to toss it on the ground, so he took it with them. At the least, he figured that he could have it anonymously placed on Ishikawa's desk in the real world as a reminder for him.

* * *

After carefully making their way back the way they came, they returned to the station in the real world. What Shido said about it getting late wasn't just an excuse to get them out of there quickly. It was going to be dark out by the time they reached the sushi place.

As they walked to their platform, a new type of silence formed between them. It wasn't a bad silence, but it wasn't necessarily a comfortable one, either. Akechi could tell that Shido was feeling the same kind of thing that he was. He'd gone into Mementos with the intention of doing whatever was necessary to satisfy and impress him. He really felt committed to that purpose. It made so much sense to him at the time. After the fact, he got the feeling that he'd been saved from making a terrible decision.

“I'm glad you took me with you,” Shido said, glancing down at him from the corners of his eyes as they walked next to each other.

Akechi smiled for him. “You're welcome.”

Shido shook his head, slowing his step. “No. Rather, what I mean to say is... I'm glad I was there.”

Amid the evening crowd, Akechi came to a stop. He waited for Shido to face him, but his confidence fled once he had his attention. He wanted to tell him what he was thinking, but his words hesitated before rising to his tongue.

“Were you being serious back there? You want me to tell Isshiki about the app? Are you sure you don't need more time to think about this?” He rubbed a hand over his arm. It was cold even in the station. “I hope you don't mind me saying this, but... That doesn't seem like you. I think I'll wait a while before I do anything. I'm afraid that the Metaverse might have affected you somehow.”

“Even if it did,” Shido said, “take it to her. I know what my priorities are right now.”

They didn't have much longer until the train left.

But Akechi didn't know what to do. It was kind of overwhelming to realize what Shido was really trying to say to him. Remembering the years he spent alone in an empty house, there was a part of him that kept resisting, unable to believe that there was a person who placed him above all else, even if that person was his real father. Somehow, that just made it even more difficult to believe. It was too perfect.

“Do you need me to make it even clearer for you?” Shido asked.

At that point, he didn't, really. Akechi understood. It felt more like it was his responsibility to get used to the idea.

He shivered, but not because he was cold. Nevertheless, Shido removed his coat and put it around his shoulders. The inside of it was really warm from him.

In his heart, there was still some resentment and hatred, always stagnating with nowhere to go. It must have been what gave Loki its twisted form and caused him to lose control. It would have been really easy to let those feelings use him.

What he hadn't realized was that those feelings didn't have to go anywhere. It was enough, just letting them be noticed by someone else.

Even so... Even knowing that, it was hard.

“Goro.” Shido's mouth slanted with a fond smirk. “My son's more important than anything.”

He seriously said it. He didn't have to.

 

Something about hearing it, though...

 

It felt like he'd been waiting to hear that for a long time. Longer than he knew. Longer than made sense. It was a rainy spring day like any other, but Akechi had the vague sense that he'd known that exact day before and had experienced it more times than he could count. Probably just déjà vu... He had no reason to feel so forlorn.

He needed to clean up his own heart to show Shido his gratitude.

 

Within the week, the Nav no longer returned a result for Shido's name.


End file.
